Dave Sims feels Yankees fans' pain after 0-2 start to ALDS, but he still thinks team can advance

Yankees radio play-by-play man Dave Sims was thinking what you were thinking, Yankees fans.

He just had to use nicer language than you probably did at home.

Whether it was Austin Wells’ baserunning blunder in Game 1 or the three errors in the first inning of Game 2 and four overall, Sims’ calls on WFAN perfectly encapsulated how maddeningly poorly the Yankees played in going down 0-2 to Tampa Bay in the ALDS.

It was a series of Jack Buck “I don’t believe what I just saw” moments – and not in a good way.

“I didn’t want to use that line, but that’s definitely what was in my inner voice,” Sims told Newsday on Tuesday in a telephone interview. “I’ve got the outer voice – what I’m saying – and the inner voice is like, ‘Are you kidding?’ ”

The bad mojo started in Game 1 when Wells, the Yankees’ slow-footed catcher, was thrown out at third base for the final out of the eighth inning trying to stretch a double into a triple. It was the Yankees’ only hit in a 1-0 loss.

Here’s Sims’ call:

“He’s gonna get to second easily. He’s thinking three! And here he comes! Wells dives . . . oh, goodness gracious. He’s out by three feet.”

The excitement in Sims’ voice at the start of the play and his disbelief at the end were radio gold.

“I totally get what he was thinking,” Sims said on Tuesday. “And Austin's a really good dude, and he knows. I saw his dad yesterday. He knows what happened. I mean, he tried to try to do a little too much, and it cost him.”

Wells’ gaffe was an important moment. But the Yankees also had to tip their cap to Tampa Bay righthander Drew Rasmussen, who dominated them over eight innings.

“We’ve all seen great pitching performances,” Sims said. “That’s one of the best I’ve ever seen in the postseason. It was just ridiculous.”

But it was just one game. Yankees fans were still fired up going into Game 2 with Cam Schlittler on the mound.

At least until two pitches into the bottom of the first when Ryan McMahon booted a leadoff grounder by Yandy Diaz for the Yankees’ first error.

Sims’ call: “Swing and a bouncing ball to third base. Off the glove of McMahon! Oh, my goodness, he had a room service hop and it went right off his glove as he went to grab it. Oh, brother.”

Said Sims’ partner, Suzyn Waldman: “Not how you want to start, with an error by the third baseman.”

Two batters later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. tried to complete an impossible double play and threw the ball away to allow the Rays’ first run to score.

Sims’ call: “Off-balance throw to first. Throws it away. Didn’t have to throw it. Run’s gonna score. Coming around is Diaz. . . . If Jazz had held onto that, nobody would have scored. But he tried to make too big a play . . . That was ill-advised, to say the least.”

The Yankees’ third error of the first inning was a catcher’s interference by Wells. The fourth came in the Rays’ four-run fifth inning, when Lombard threw wide to first on a two-out grounder hit by Jonny DeLuca. The ball went off Luis Garcia’s glove to prolong the inning and led to the Rays' final two runs.

Sims’ call: “Swing and a dribbler. Charging is Lombard at shortstop. Guns it over! A little bit wide! Off the glove of Garcia!”

Waldman: “Oh, boy.”

Sims: “Boy, this is one of the worst defensive performances I’ve seen in a postseason. Maybe ever.”

Sims, who is in his second year in the Yankees booth after 18 seasons calling Seattle Mariners games, still thinks the Yankees have a chance in the best-of-five series.

“Why the heck not?” he said. “Why not? I mean, it's baseball. Crazier things have happened.”

Sims admits he’s not calling Yankees games as an outside observer. He’s all in on wanting them to win, which comes through in his excitement in his voice when they do well and his incredulity when they play blunder-filled ball.

“Somebody will say, ‘He’s a homer.’ I don't care,” Sims said. “I want these guys to win . . . I think as a local announcer, you're the voice of the fans. I'm feeling what they're feeling because I'm on the same page in my want and desire for the club to win.”

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.